Re: Outboard vs Universal 2-cycle oil

The reality is - yes you CAN use it and do fine if careful and mix a little extra with some machines. It wasn't long ago that big-name companies like Stihl allowed plain 30W motor oil to be mixed with gas instead of the premium two-stroke-cycle oils. Sthil recommends 25 to 1 with 30W motor oil and 40 to 1 with premium 2-stroke oil made for air-cooled engines. Also 50 to 1 with some high-end oils.

I've been using nothing but the Walmart Super-Tech TCW oil in all my stuff for years and done fine. Chainsaws, weed-eaters, outboards and also in my diesel fuel. I've had zero problems. Only slight glitch you might encounter is this. If you have a carb with a fixed main jet - and you add extra oil - it will run leaner. Not an issue when you've got an adjustable main jet and can just open it up a bit.

JD, whether it is a good idea to run ashless TC-W rated oil in outdoor power equipment has already been determined by the power equipment manufacturers, and they are pretty much unanimous in their opinion. Their concerns with TC-W oil led to development of the JASO and ISO oil specs. What recommendations Stihl made back in the Paleozoic Era are irrelevant because the TC-W rating didn't exist them. (The earlier "TC" rated oil was good for both air and water-cooled engines.)

If you google "bia tcw site:stihlusa.com", you'll get close to two hundred hits, mostly Stihl owner's manuals that include the phrase "Do not use BIA or TCW (two-stroke water cooled) mix oils!" I assume the exclamation point means they're serious about it.

The only reason to use outboard motor oil in outdoor power equipment is to save a few bucks. Given the price of new equipment, that sure sounds like false economy to me. Stihl will double the warranty period of their tools IF you purchase a six-pack of their "Ultra" oil at the same time you purchase the tool. I'd say they really want you to use the right oil.

When I first worked as a tree-cutter for the power company back in late 60s - all we had were poorly build Homelite saws and 30W motor oil for mix (XL101, 5-30, etc.). Early 70s we switched to Sthil (040,S10, etc.). Used nothing but 30W in them and I still have two of them. So 40 plus years later they still run fine. Nobody is going to convince me their useful lifespans were shortened by inferior oil. My "new" Stihl 045 Super that I got mid 80s still runs fine an has never had anything but TCW oil in it. 30 years old and still going. And yes - I also have a few truly new saws. Two Dolmars, two EFCOs, one Echo, and a few Homelite-like Poulan Pro junkers. I use 20 to 1 mix of TCW oil in all. Why? Less confusion. One mix goes in all my 2-stroke-cycle stuff. I understand that there are better oils that can endure more heat stress and a "richer" mix - like 50 to 1 instead of 20 to 1 (or 16 to 1). Much of the tweaking the new oils is to get emissions down by burning less oil. I don't disagree with that fact. The guy who started this post asked if the TCW oil was OK. The answer is - yes - if used right.

JD, YOUR answer is "yes", but the answer from pretty much every manufacturer of outdoor power equipment is "no".

Now, if you choose to ignore the manufacturer's recommendations to save a few bucks and use an oil which is not even intended for use in chainsaws, that's your business. But I don't see where you get off advising Chris to use an oil that will void the warranty of any new equipment he has.

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